The Eye of the Tiger (The Mentalist)
by achoncha
Summary: Oneshot Lisbon's pupils are dilated. Mashburn and Jane ask her about it. Why are her pupils like that? What will their reaction be? Also, this is my first fic. Please comment and like. I do not own The Mentalist.


**_This is my first story in this platform. If you liked it please go and check my account at Wattpad with the same name and follow me on instagram, also with the same name (yeah, I know I'm very original :))._** ** _Warning: English isn't my fist language. If you see any mistake contact me and I'll try to correct it._** ** _Thank you and have fun._**

"Now, Shankar's campsite is right up on that ridge over there. You can see the whole valley from there." Explains Walter Mashburn, the multibillionaire who is helping the CBI get to their suspect, while walking through the club's entrance.

"This campsite, you want it. You wished you owned it." Stops Jane abruptly and reads the other man.

"I do. How did you know?" He asks the psychic dumbfounded.

"Pupil dilation." The consultant says as it is the most normal thing in the world.

"Pupil dilation?" Lisbon asks from the side.

"Yes, when someone sees something they want, their pupils dilate." The consultant finally cares to explain.

"Pupil dilation." Walter repeats in a provocative way and turns to look at Lisbon.

While Walter keeps his eyes locked in the CBI agent that is right before him, Patrick and Teresa change their visuals.

Jane alternates his concentration between Walter and Lisbon. Meanwhile, the later tries to avoid both of the glares she is receiving.

"Fantastic." Walter finally decides to break the silence.

"Yes, it is." Assures the consultant.

Walter starts their way again and Jane and Lisbon are left behind for a second.

Lisbon breaks unable to control the smile that shows at her face when she receives a weird glare from his fellow partner and lets her get in before him like the gentleman he is.

"Thank you." Mashburn tells the guard when they are all inside.

"Well, Lisbon. I know why our friend had his pupils dilated a second ago. But why were yours like that too?" Asks the picky consultant while pinching himself. He really doesn't want to push them together. Not now that he finally knows what his real feelings are.

"Now you are seeing ghosts. You are seeing things when they are not there." Lisbon tries to lie. But both men see through her lie.

"Come on Teresa. We both saw it. You can't lie to us." Walter hisses.

"Alright. Yeah, I may have had my pupils dilated." She admits and her face turns bright red. She doesn't want to admit it. But eventually they would have this conversation and she can't lie to them as Walter said.

"Care to explain why?" Walter continues to push her. And he is so caught up in Lisbon that he doesn't see the uneasy position that Jane moves into and his rosed cheeks.

Now the three of them have their pupils dilated. But Jane manages to use one of his body manipulating trick to make them almost imperceptible.

She is unable to answer. Her brain isn't prepared to hear the rejection she thinks she is going to get.

Their uncomfortable silence is disturbed when they hear a gunshot.

They all jump behind the nearest bush. Lisbon immediately gets her hand to the holster and releases her gun.

She quickly shots her gun but not without hearing another shot coming towards them.

She just shoots towards the shooter to get him to run away.

She looks around and sees that Walter gets up. "Jane, are you okay?" She asks worriedly.

"Yes, I'm alright. Are you okay?" He asks also worried. He also had pushed her out of the way before getting himself out of trouble.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm alright. Walter is so too." She answers his partner's question.

Back at the CBI all of them are still recovering from the shock.

Cho is questioning Walter and Lisbon and Jane are left alone to talk.

Then is when he sees Lisbon's jacket and the hole the bullet had left on its shoulder. He sighs and turns around.

He can't let her see that he is very worried and that the thing he was fearing the most was to lose her. That's why he had pushed her. And now he feels grateful that he did.

"Jane, are you really okay? You seem off." She asks when she sees him turn around to face the wall and that he puts a hand on the wall to steady himself.

"Yeah. I'm al..." He tries to say. But his voice trembles and he can't finish his sentence. That shows Lisbon that he really isn't that right.

"Jane, you are safe now." She assures.

"You think I'm like this because of my safety. I couldn't care less about it." He turns around shivering and a single and lonely tear running down his cheek.

"Then why are you like that? I don't understand. I know that Walter is your friend..." She asks but doesn't get to finish her statement.

"You don't get it. You really don't get it." He says and leaves her office and heads to his attic.

"Wait, Jane. You can't leave right now. Finish this conversation." She whisper-yells behind him but he refuses to turn around.

She sees him get the stairs to his hiding spot.

She lets things cool down before going after him. While waiting he goes to talk to Walter herself.

"Hello, Teresa." He greets her before seeping from his coffee.

"Hello, are you alright?" She asks once again.

"Yeah, just a bit scared, but that's all. Thanks for saving me out there." He thanks the agent.

"I was just doing my job." She answers quickly.

"Oh come on Teresa. I like you, and I know you like me. You've proven that earlier today with the trick Patrick told us." He hisses.

"You think that was because of you? Don't make me laugh. I do not like you." She answers with serenity and seriousness.

It then clicks in her mind. It all makes sense now. She runs through the door and gets to the attic as soon as possible.

She opens the door without knocking before. It isn't like she is the only one that does it. He does that all the time.

"I do. I do understand it. You are the one that doesn't understand it." She sees him standing by the window looking through it deep in thoughts.

"I don't know what you are talking about Lisbon." He answers sternly.

"You wanna know what happened earlier today? I did have my pupils dilated. But that wasn't because of him." She avoids saying his name.

"Then why was it. You wanted a house there? You liked the guard? He was fine I guess." He battles.

"Jane! Would you just turn around? Look at me. Look at my eyes." He does as he is told and looks at her beautiful green eyes. Only that her green iris is almost gone.

"That was because of you. You idiot." She says and waits for his reaction. He stays there motionless and wordless.

She looks down at the floor for a second and when she lifts her face to stare at him again she's met with his lips colliding against hers.

At first, she stays still and lets him move. But when she recovers from the shock she answers the kiss and moves along with him.

Welcoming him.

"I. love. you. And I can not bear to lose you." He tells her when they part for air and while they recover their breath.

She looks at him and kisses him one more time. A sweet but quick kiss. "I love you too." She smiles.

When he looks at that beautiful smile he can't help but smile too. That beautiful, tender and a sincere smile plastered over both of their faces.

"What about Mashburn?" He grins and hisses her.

"Oh shut up you idiot!" She hits his arm and then kisses him again.

 **Thanks for reading this oneshot. Please like it if you did and comment.**


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